Save The Bay opens registration for Rhode Island’s only cross-Bay swim event
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – March 4, 2024 – This morning, Save The Bay opens registration for its annual Swim, an event that challenges skilled swimmers to tackle two miles of open water. The nonprofit organization’s flagship fundraiser, taking place this year on Saturday, July 13, starts at the Naval War College in Newport and finishes in Jamestown’s Potter Cove.
“The Swim is not only Save The Bay’s flagship fundraiser,” said Executive Director, Topher Hamblett. “It’s also an inspiring community event that demonstrates the role we can all play in advocating for Narragansett Bay.
“The waters our swimmers now jump into willingly were once deemed too polluted for human contact. We have plenty of environmental challenges left ahead of us, but we have made notable progress since this event first began, nearly 50 years ago.”
“The Swim offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to exercise your right to a clean and healthy Narragansett Bay,” said Leanne Danielsen, Save The Bay’s events manager. “For anyone looking for a refreshing challenge that offers stunning views of the Newport Bridge, an amazing, supportive Swim community, and a meaningful cause—the Swim is for you!”
“At the Swim, you have all these people from different walks of life, but when everyone is in the water, it’s an even playing field and everyone is just having a good time and helping each other,” said Michael Pimental, a Brown University strength and conditioning coach, and the highest fundraiser for the 2023 Swim. “Life is about two things: your experiences and your relationships. Through Save The Bay I have been able to maximize those—and that’s why I continue to be so involved with the Save The Bay organization.”
Those interested in registering for or donating to the 2024 Swim are encouraged to visit savebay.org/swim, or to contact Leanne Danielsen at [email protected]. The registration fee for qualifying Swim participants is $50, with a $400 fundraising minimum. The event also offers options for a virtual Swim and other athletic challenges that can be completed remotely; virtual and remote challenges require a $25 registration fee and a $200 fundraising minimum.
As one of the most storied open-water events in the country, the Swim attracts hundreds of swimmers from across the country, as well as more than a hundred local volunteers, to the only event that invites swimmers to cross Narragansett Bay’s East Passage. The event is Save The Bay’s largest annual fundraiser, providing critical support to the organization’s mission to protect and improve Narragansett Bay and its watershed. The event is generously sponsored by local businesses and fundraising efforts are supported by thousands of individuals who donate funds to swimmers.
The 2024 Save The Bay Swim is supported in part by the following event sponsors: Arbella Insurance Foundation, Nordson; Nucar; Fuss & O’Neill; Bradford Soap; Carpianato Group; DBVW Architects; Locke Lord; Rhode Races & Events; Horsley Witten Group; Water Scents; Brown Physicians; Narragansett Bay Insurance Company; Centreville Savings Bank; Blaeser Insurance Agency; Gill; and PODS Swimming.
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